Bracelet.



H. L. JEFFERY & A. W. WADSWORTH.

BRACELET.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 30, 1914.

1,13QA05. V Patented Mar. 2, 1915.

HE NORRIS PETERS C0,. PHOTO-LITHO.. WAbrHNGTON. D. C.

E ren srs HAROLD L. JEFFERY AND ARTHUR W. WADSWOR-TH, OF FORT THOMAS. KENTUCKY,

ASSIGNORS TO THE VI'ADSWOBTI-I WATCH CASE COMPANY, .A CORPORATION OF L KENTUCKY.

BRACELET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2, 1915.

Application filed January 30, 1914. Serial No. 815,359.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat we, IIAROLD L. JEFFERY and ARTHUR W. lVAnswonTH, citizens of the United States, and residents of Fort Thomas, in the county of Campbell and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bracelets,

of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to jewelry, and its object is to provide an attaching means between an encircling element, especially a bracelet, and some object to be retained by the element, such as a watch, locket or useful or ornamental object of any kind, in such a manner that the object will be freely movable with relation to'the element, and whereby the element is readily detachable from the object for application to the wearer and, preferably, to have the object freely reversible on the element, either-be.- fore or after its application to the wearer.

Our invention consists in the parts and in the details of construction and arrangement of parts as will hereinafter be more fully described and claimed.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a front elevation of a watch-bracelet embodying our invention, the bracelet being of resilientlink or elastic construction: Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a. watch bracelet embodying our invention, the bracelet having a strap or non-elastic construction; Fig.4 is a side elevation of the same; Fig. 5 is an' enlarged detail bottom view of part ofthe watch case and the link that connects thereto in the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 6 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same; Fig. '7 is an end view of part of the link; Fig. 8 is an inside view of part of a bracelet having end parts directly connected according to our invention; and Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the same.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, and Figs. 5 and 6, the watch case 1 has a trunnion or neck 2 fixed in its edge at each side, and each of these necks'2 has a ball or head 3 on its outer end, preferably formed integral therewith, and each adjacent bracelet link 4 has a socket 5 with the ball or head 4 held therein. These links 4, as shown, are parts of a bracelet of the kind adapted to expand by virtue of resilient connection between the links, which connection, not

forming an essential part of our invention, need not be particularly described.

Each of the links 4 is preferably of elongated curved box-like formation, with the its middle down to the bottom of the end,

.end 6 adjacent to the watch provided with' a slot -7 extending from some distance above of the link into an. enlargement 9 near the Z other end of the link. The slots 7 and 8 are of width very slightly greater than the diameter of the neck or trunnion 2, and the enlargement 9 is of slightly greater diameter than that of the ball or head 3. allows the-ball or head 3 to be slipped through the enlargement 9 near the rear of the link, and then the neck or trunnion 2 This may slide along the slot 8 with the ball or head 3 sliding along thehollow interior or socket 5 until this ball or head 3 reaches. the. end ofcthe'link where the slot 7 is, and then theneck or trunn on 2 swings around into the slot 7. Theslightly greater width v of the slot 7 as compared with the diameter of thefneck or trunnion 2, yet not great enough to allowthe escape of the ball or head 3, permits a universal swinging of the link 4 with respect to the watch 1, with the ball or head 3 forming the bearing inside the socket 5.

By the above described construction, a

' free movement of the bracelet part with respect to the watch or other object thus connected therewith is permitted, while. at the same time, the bracelet part is readily detached from and attached to the watch. Past the enlargement 9 where the slot 8 ends. the other end of the bracelet is provided with openings 10 and 11 in its top and bottom near the end 12, which is also reduced in conformity to these openings, and the next adjacent link 13 is coupled around this reduced end 12 by passing through the openings Y10 and 11, and thereby has-a suflicient pivotal connection with link 4, this connection being similar to the connections between the other links of the bracelet.

lVher-e a non-elastic element or strap 14 is to be used, asshown in Figs. 3 and 4,

the link 4 'has a box-like formation and construction next. to the watch the same as the link the preceding example, but inv stead of the other end being formed with openings 10 and 1.1 and being reduced like the end 12 in the other example, this end is provided with a broad short link 15, through w iich the strap or other element 1 is passed and properly sewed or otherwise secured together, so that these links l. serve the same purpose in connection with such strap or other elementas do the links 4:: in the resilient construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The links 4 being readily detachable from the watch 1, are especially desirable in connection with a nonelastic element which cannot be expanded and slipped over the hand, but must be clasped around the arm. This strap 14: may be provided with a buckle 16 for adjusting it, our improved connecting means being used instead of the buckle for quick attaching and detaching.

A braceletof elastic or resilient construction like that shown in 'Figs. 1 and 2 may have a detachable connection elsewhere than withthe watch, locket or similar object, and such object may be attached to the bracelet by suitable means or maybe absent therefrom. In such an instance, the ends of the bracelet may be directly connected by the device constructed according to our invention as shown in Figs. 8 and 19. Thus, the terminal link of each part of the bracelet may be like the link 4 shown in Figs. 1 and-'2, with interiorsoc'ket 5 and merging slots 7 and'S terminating in the opening a, while the terminal link 17 of the other part of the bracelet may have a neck 18 rigidly secured to it, with ahead 19 bearing in and held in the socket 5 of the link 4, and operating in. the manner that has been described.

'VVith any bracelet of elastic or resilient construction in which our detachable connection is used for attaching and detaching,

onlyv a comparatively low degree of resiliency or elasticity is required, compared with the amount required for stretching and slipping the bracelet over the hand onto the arm. Bracelets having a low degree of resiliency or elasticity are much less difficult of construction. and generally more reliable in operation.

It will be further understood that any bracelet construction, either elastic or nonelastic, may be provided with the connections described for attaching them to a watch or locket or any other similar object, and thatsuch object so attached will not only be readily detachable and capable of swinging freely with respect to the bracelet part, but will also be reversible with respect thereto. This is highly desirable, because, with a watch, the face may be turned next to the arm and the crystal thus protected, while the cover on the other side may have any desirable ornamentation, which will be. displayed while the watch is inthisposition,

1,130,&05

and the watch may be readily turned face outward when it is to be consulted. With the use of any object other than a watch, such as a locket, both sides of the object may be provided with any desirable ornamentation of different designs, and one or the other may be displayed as desired.

Anoth important advantage is the fa.- cility wi h which these bracelets may be packed. Where the watch or other object carried by the bracelet is confined to a single position at right angles to the plane of thebracelet, i. 6., the position in which it is worn on the arm and in which it is shown in the drawing, considerable space is wasted in the container in which it is packed be cause the container must be high enough to accommodate the height of the watch, locket, or other object and wide and long enough to receive the bracelet. lVith the trunnion construction here shown, the watch or other object may be turned one-fourth of the way around, bringing it practically en tirely in the same plane as that of the brace let, allowing the package to be flat with very little waste of space in the inclosure. Even a better package may be made by detaching the bracelet part from the watch and coiling the bracelet more compactly. l/Vith either of thesemethods of packing, not only is less space wasted, but the article may be more securely packed without the necessity of making the container so heavy and strong as is required in the packing of the ordinary watch-bracelet with rigid fastenings.

With the bracelet part fully detachable from the watch, unimportant convenience is afforded in the manufacture and handling of these articles. The watch case or watch may be made complete with the trunnions or necks 2 and their heads 3, in one factor while the bracelet parts may be made complete with their links 4 or l attached, in another factory, and the assemblage of the watches or watch cases with the bracelet parts may be done in the oi'lice or shipping room of either factory, or in any of the branch oiiices or stores, accordingly as or ders are received for the complete watchbracelet. This is especially desirable in connection with the marketing of watch-bracelets, because the manufacture of watch cases or watches and the manufacture of the bracelet parts are generally distinct industries in the broad field of jewelry manufacture.

While the watch or other object is readily detachable from the bracelet part in the manner 'hereinbefore described, it is not liable to he accidentally or surreptitiously detached after the bracelet has been secured on the arm, owing to tie necessity of the trunnion 2 swinging around and traversing the entire length of the slot 8 before its head 0 can escape through the enlargement 9.

the connection between one of said ends and the object being separable.

2. In an article of jewelry of the character described, an encircling element with separated ends, an object to be retained between the ends of the element, and detachable connection between said ends and the object, permitting universal swinging of the end parts of the element with respect to the ob- 'ect. J 3. In an article of jewelry of the character described, an encircling element with separated ends, an object to be retained between the ends of the element, and swivel connections between said ends and the object, permitting universal swinging ofthe end parts of the element with respect to the object, and permitting reversal of the object with respect to the element, the swivel connection between one of said ends and the object being separable.

4. In an article of jewelry of the character described, an encircling element with separated ends, an object to be retained between the ends of the element, and swivel connections between said ends and the object, permitting universal swinging of the end parts of the element with respect to the object, and permitting reversal of the object with respect to the element, each of said swivel connections being separable.

5. In an article of jewelry of the character described, an elastic encircling element with separated ends, an object to be retained between the ends of the element, and trunnions forming the connections between the object and adjacent ends of the elements and permitting universal swinging of the end parts of the element with respect to the object, an end part of the element being separable from its trunnion.

6. In an article of jewelry of the charac ter described, an elastic encircling element with separated ends, an object to be retained between the ends of the element, and trunnions forming the connections between the object and adjacent ends of the element and permitting universal swinging of the end parts of the element with respect to the object, each of the end parts of the element being separable from its trunnion.

7. In an article of jewelry of the character described, an encircling element with separated ends, and connection between said ends comprising a neck, a head on the neck,

and .means having a socket receiving said head and capable of swinging universally on said neck and head, said means having an opening permitting withdrawal of the head from the socket.

8. In an article of jewelry of the character described, an encircling element with separated ends, and connection between said ends comprising a neck, a head on the neck, and means having a socket receiving the head, said means having an opening permitting withdrawal of the head from the socket and having a slot which leads from the opening and has a terminal part away from the opening through which terminal part the neck extends with the head bearing in the socket and permitting universal swinging of said means on the neck and head.

9. In an article of jewelry of the character described, an encircling element with separated ends, an object to be retained between the ends of the element, and connections between said ends and the object, one

of said connections comprising a neck on the ob ect, a head on the neck, and means on the element having a socket receiving said head and capable of swinging universally on said neck and head, said means having an opening permitting withdrawal of the head from the socket.

10. In an article of jewelry of the character described, an encircling element with separated ends, an object to be retained between the ends of the element, and connections between said ends and the object, one of the connections comprising a neck on the object, a head on the neck, and means on the element having a socket receiving the head, said means having an opening permitting withdrawal of the head from the socket, and having a slot which leads from the opening and has a terminal part away from the opening, through which terminal part the neck extends with the head bearing in the socket and permitting universal swinging of said means on the neck and head. c

11. In an article of jewelry of the character described, an encircling element with separated ends, an object to be retained between the ends of the element, and connections between said ends and the object, one of said connections comprising a neck on the object, a head on the neck and means on the element having an elongated socket receiving the head, said means having an opening located away from the object and permitting withdrawal of the head from the socket, and having a slot extending from said opening toward the object up into the end of the socket, with the neck extending through the parts of the slot near to and up in this end of the socket whereby universal swinging of said means on the neck and head is permitted with the head bearing in this end of the socket, the other connection also permitting universal swinging of the end part of the element relative to the object. I

12. In an article of jewelry of the character described, an encircling element with 5 separated ends, an object to be retained between the ends of the element, and connections between said ends and the object, one of said connections comprising a neck'on the object, a head on the neck, and means on the 10 element having an elongated socket receiving the head, said means having an opening located away from the object and permitting withdrawal of the head from the socket, and having a slot extending from said opening 15 toward the object up into the end of the tsetse "socket, with the neck extending through the object with respect to the encircling element.

HAROLD L. JEFFERY. ARTHUR W. WADSWORTH. Witnesses:

CLARENCE PERDEW, CATHERINE DORAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

